Impact of interpreter services on delivery of health care to limited-English-proficient patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether professional interpreter services Increase the delivery of health care to limited-English-proficient patients. DESIGN: Two-year retrospective cohort study during which professional inter preter services for Portuguese and Spanish-speaking patients were institute d between years one and two. Preventive and clinical service information wa s extracted from computerized medical records. SETTING: A large HMO in New England. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4,380 adults continuously enrolled in a staff mode l health maintenance organization for the two years of the study, who eithe r used the comprehensive Interpreter services (interpreter service group [I SG]: N = 327) or were randomly selected Into a 10% comparison group of all other eligible adults (comparison group [CG]; N = 4,053). MEASUREMENT'S AND MAIN RESULTS: The measures were change In receipt of clin ical services and preventive service use. Clinical service use and receipt of preventive services Increased in both groups from year one to year two. Clinical service use Increased significantly in the ISG compared to the CG for office visits (1.80 vs 0.70; P < .01), prescriptions written (1.76 vs 0 .53; P < .01). and prescriptions filled (2.33 vs 0.86; P < .01). Rectal exa minations increased significantly more in the ISG compared to the CG (0.26 vs 0.02; P = .05) and disparities in rates of fecal occult blood testing, r ectal exams, and flu Immunization between Portuguese and Spanish-speaking p atients and a comparison group were significantly reduced after the impleme ntation of professional interpreter services. CONCLUSION. Professional Interpreter services can increase delivery of heal th care to limited-English-speaking patients.